Tag: Anthony Johnson

As crazy as it may sound to haters like Uproxx’s Jessica Hudnall, Ryan Bader should be looking at a title shot right now. He’s won five straight in a weight class that is nearly impossible to do so in, he’s done so over increasingly impressive competition, and he’s looked more and more well-rounded with each performance. On the heels of a one-sided decision win over returning former champ Rashad Evans, it seemed as if Bader was all but guaranteed to be the man to face the winner of Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier (which FYI, will be Jon Jones).

But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about the modern era of the UFC, it’s that Reebok Fight Kits are terrible. If there’s a second thing we’ve learned, it’s that title fights are *never* guaranteed. As such, Bader has once again been passed over and instead booked against his toughest opponent to date…

***Late last night, former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Johnson took to Twitter and Facebook to vent his frustrations regarding an “ugly woman at the gym” who was “stretching where people are supposed to lift.” It was an incredibly poor lapse in judgement for Johnson, who has a long and very public history with domestic violence, and he has wisely since deleted the posts. But in the hopes of curbing Johnson — or any other MMA fighters, really — from posting something incredibly stupid and/or defamatory on social media in the future, we’ve written the following open letter.***

Will Vitor Belfort roundhouse kick his way to becoming the new UFC middleweight champion? Will the winner of Johnson vs. Cormier be considered the true light heavyweight champion? How soon after the main event winner is announced will we see the predictable “I got next” tweet from Jon Jones that is immediately deleted?

The short answers to those questions: No, no, and 30 seconds. But join us anyway as we examine the UFC 187 betting lines (courtesy of 5dimes) and try to steer clear of the land mines known as the undercard while swinging for the fences on the main card.

Nation, UFC 187 is approaching us, and what was once being touted as one of the greatest cards in Zuffa history is now simply “a very good one.” The card took some bumps and bruises — quite literally when original UFC 187 headliner Jon Jones broke a pregnant lady’s arm during his now infamous hit-and-run (too soon?) — but nonetheless, there’s still two title fights and a few important match-ups to determine the next line of challengers to look forward too.

So you know the drill, instead of the same ol’ recycled text recapping each fighter’s recent matches and predicting how they will win this weekend, I’ve compiled an A-to-Z list previewing each and every aspect of UFC 187. Join me?

Although it might not be the card it once was, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone complaining about the lineup of this weekend’s UFC 187 card. You’ve got Anthony “Rumble” Johnson vs. Daniel Cormier for the “undisputed but actually still quite disputable” light heavyweight title in the night’s main event, Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort in an “Oh Thank God, they’re both finally healthy” middleweight title fight, and names like Cerrone, Arlovski, Dodson, and Thug Rose punctuating the rest of the card. I mean, it’s no Fight Night: Broomfield, but it’s still really something.

So in order to get us hyped up for this week’s action, the UFC has generously made their Countdown series for the event available online via their Youtube channel. You can check out a full preview of Cormier vs. Johnson above, then head after the jump to hear Belfort talk about the power of Jesus while Weidman challenges Matt Serra to a hoagie-off and fails miserably.

(Fair warning: I can not confirm with 100% certainty that either of those things happen in the Weidman-Belfort Countdown, but am simply taking an educated guess.)

Look at it. It’s glorious, isn’t it? In a UFC landscape currently being dominated by complaints of oversaturation, dwindling fan interest and rampant PED use, along comes a card to finally set us straight, or at least distract us from said oversaturation and rampant PED use for a little while.

The UFC showcase on FOX returns tonight for its 14th installment, featuring a huge light heavyweight title eliminator on deck. Alexander Gustafsson will be looking to book his rematch against Jon Jones, as he dukes it out against rising contender Anthony Johnson in the five-round main event inside Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. The winner of this bout will most likely square off against the champion later this year.

After an abundance of trash talk, a pre-fight press conference brawl, asking pussies if they’re still there, technical breakdowns, and moving betting lines, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier duked it out for five rounds in an early “Fight of the Year” candidate, which went exactly how most of us thought it would. The main card of UFC 182, however, was pretty putrid.

Our excitement was at an all-time high, which is rare nowadays when it comes to MMA in general. This truly felt like 2008 all over again, but sometimes, we rely on nostalgia to compare upcoming fight cards that may or may not be worth viewing live.

Nevertheless, Jones vs. Cormier lived up to the billing, as both light heavyweights engaged in a dogfight at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV., this past Saturday night.

UFC president Dana White has just confirmed that top light-heavyweight contenders Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson will fight at a Jan 24th UFC on FOX event at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. It is likely that this fight will serve as the headliner. If our math is correct, this is UFC on FOX 14 we’re talking about.

The UFC’s three previous Sweden events have all taken place at the 16,000-seat capacity Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm. The Tele2 is a multi-purpose stadium with a capacity of 30,000 and above. It seems like the UFC is hoping to break European attendance records with this show — which is interesting, because the attendance figures of the aforementioned Stockholm cards have steadily decreased, from a high of 15,428 fans at UFC on FUEL TV 2: Gustafsson vs Silva in April 2012, to 14,506 for Mousasi vs. Latifi in April 2013, to a mere 10,026 for Nelson vs. Story last month. Of course, getting Gustafsson back in a big fight will make for a great local draw. But can he pack an actual stadium? We’re about to find out.

Seven weeks after Anthony Johnson was indefinitely suspended by the UFC following accusations of abuse and intimidation from the mother of two of his children, the UFC light-heavyweight contender has been cleared to compete again. The UFC broke the news earlier today in an announcement on UFC.com, explaining that the accuser had dropped her complaint. Here’s the full statement:

The person who filed a civil temporary protection order against UFC contender Anthony Johnson last September voluntarily dismissed their complaint last week in the Florida Circuit Court. Before granting a dismissal of the case, the presiding judge independently questioned the alleging party regarding their voluntary intentions, and thereafter the judge dismissed the entire matter.

The dismissal of the case, along with an independent investigation that was commissioned by the UFC organization, brings closure to this matter for Johnson and allows him to return to competition in the UFC. As a result, UFC officials are exploring options for Johnson’s next fight to take place early next year.

The UFC organization will not tolerate domestic violence, sexual assault or any other violation of its Code of Conduct. The organization is committed to thoroughly investigating all allegations and taking the appropriate action when warranted.